This month is a moment, a whisper in time.
This month is our moment -
Between You and I.
I flip back through the pages of my own life's book.
I see the images as I saw them before -
Shadows lurking in yesterday, still as broad and terrifying sometimes
As if they still hovered over me.
So I huddle here in the worries of yesterday -
Swimming, drowning in memory.
But wait -
You turn the page.
Those chapters are behind us.
I read on and find between the lines that You've been working all the time.
Even now - here in my poem - You're writing the real story.
You take all things and mould them into glory.
You've given me this moment, filled me with this breath
And it's beautiful.
It's holy.
You leaf forward onto chapters yet unnamed -
Undisclosed to me are the contents of a heightening love story.
I feel the upward thrust - it's all coming to a climax -
A weight of glory with which the old shadows cannot compare.
I see Eden, and I know You'll take me there.
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Written By Samantha Lindholm October 26, 2012
Really autobiographical, stream-of-conciousness feeling poem. Just had to get the thoughts out into some artistic form.
Writer of such a vast plan,
You still hold me in Your hand.
The strokes of Your pen are broad,
Your lines are clean.
The nations walk by Your brightness,
Hearts made to beat with the rhythm of Your uprightness.
God Exalted, Sovereignty Transcendent,
Kindness Ever Victorious -
You've written such an immense and unfathomable plan,
And still You're holding me in Your hand.
I recently read a portion of a book called "Foolishness to the Greeks" which evaluates what it would take for a truly missionary encounter between Western society and the Gospel. Basically, the writer talks about some really interesting stuff concerning how the Gospel is always shaped in our understanding by the culture we live in. This occurs even in the context of Western culture - or that culture which is called "modern" - such that citizens are able to live alongside so much material about the Gospel without ever really being impacted by it. I don't know if what I'm about to share will make much sense to anyone who has read the book, but I found this in my files from May 21, 2012 and wanted to share.
May 21, 2012 – The Fissure
I dare say that in Western Christianity the fissure between public and private life and between fact and value runs so deep that we have actually divorced the aspect of our emotions and relationship with God from what we see to be our “function” and “role” in church community or our mission-calling. In this it can easily be understood why Christians so desperately pursue outreach continuously while never stopping to develop a relationship with God: we were raised in a culture that valued our productivity first and all other relationships were auxiliary to our “primary function” in our work spheres. This problem touches every age group, from the young student of the public education system that learned to relate as an ID number in the midst of the overall student body (who was ranked by grades, averages, and an overall mathematically calculated GPA), to the adult who climbs a career ladder. Their value is on their resume and in their salary, not in them as an individual.
No wonder the kingdom of God is such a conundrum to us! We believe it entirely natural to separate between fact and value, between dream and have-to, between public and private life – and we think that God is altogether like us! Nevertheless, when we meet with God, we encounter Someone who wanted us first. He never wanted us because we had some productivity value to add to His kingdom, but because each of us were uniquely designed to relate to Him in a deep and intimate way. The work that we do, we do as a labor of love. Although in our society little value is placed on the work of the house mom, the work that she does she does from a deep well of love for her children. She doesn’t expect a promotion or a paycheck. She does not define herself by her resume – in fact, she may not even have one. She is simply satisfied in giving and receiving love. In the same way, our work for the kingdom is not work for the kingdom incorporated. It is a labor of love, done out of the intention to reciprocate a love that God has already shown to us. When we’re connected with this we will not find His commands burdensome. We will not weary in well-doing because it’s from and for love – not for another star on a resume or another grade on a report card.
I will have to admit, I have been writing poetry lately, but it's been so deep and personal I haven't been willing to publish it. God has been doing some deep things in me. I hope you enjoy this song until I'm ready to share again! Blessings!
Jesus, the lover of my soul
The one who's in control, when all the world fails me.
Jesus, the one who draws me near, whose voice I long to hear.
The One who is in me.
On You who calms the seas, on You who loves to speak to me.
On You, I will wait, patiently.
I will wait, I'll wait to hear Your voice
In the midst of this noise.
You're all I want to hear God.
And I will wait, as long as it takes
For the silence to break
You're all I want to hear God
Jesus, the lover of my soul
The one who's in control, when all the world fails me.
Jesus, the one who drawls me near, whose voice I long to hear.
The One who is in me.
On You who calms the seas, on You who loves to speak to me.
On You, I will wait, patiently.
I will wait, I'll wait to hear You voice
In the midst of this noise.
You're all I want to hear God.
And I will wait, as long as it takes
For the silence to break
You're all I want to hear God
On You who calms the seas, on You who loves to speak to me.
On You, I will wait, patiently
39 women walked from the Western hemisphere's largest abortion clinic in Houston, TX to the Courthouse in Dallas, TX, each woman representing one of the 39 years that abortion has been legal in the United States. Many of the women were post-abortive or survivors of abortion. They prayed for the ending of abortion on their entire journey. When they arrived at the Dallas Courthouse in downtown Dallas, they met with thousands of other women who came to attend a prayer meeting called the Esthercall. On Good Friday, April 6th (also my birthday!), we took communion before the same courthouse where abortion was legalized in the United States, and we asked God to end abortion in this nation.
I deduced that hearty sighs were not enough to lift the grief of sin.
So, ceasing from sighs and wearing my lackluster grin,
I turned my face to the grand, old facade
Poking out of the earth like the spire of a steeple.
I shook my mind and self and thought, "What's with these people?"
Women and purses and cars and kids.
I hear the click of their high-heels on the hot parking lot.
Soul creeping forward, crawling with a tail between my legs,
Slinking over to the awning where the door burst open and a greeting.
They slipped a card of paper in my hand, patted me on the shoulder,
Told me where my rear should land.
The pews like planks on a ship were laid out all within and all without.
To settle and perch with uncertainty, I wilted there on the farthest end.
I shielded myself from faces that would see me alone with no friend.
But when the music played, my heart cracked open.
The bleeding would not stop.
And light illumined all my frame, my eyes -
I could see past weights of sin and sighs.
There was a tree shaped like a T, a man with arms outstretched.
His heart beat there like a red fire and His love did mine inspire.
To die there, to live again,
My deepest places poured out their guile
And wave upon wave rushed in, rushed in -
A river began welling up within.
To sing! My heart, to sing!
The end of the world and of death and of pain!
He came with His love and my heart He claimed.
Blinking, tear-rimmed eyes gawked at the sight of the fading vision.
When gone all that remained were women and purses and children
Who sang rhythmic hymns with noses in hymnals.
And all faded. The preacher stood.
But by then, I knew it all and understood that my salvation was sure and good.
I saw a face turn and wink and smile
And was then beside myself again for quite a while.
"And sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee: how great Thou art,
How great Thou art."
Copyright Samantha Lindholm, May 29, 2012 Experiment with rhyme, rhythm, and story telling in a poem.
I read my poem for youuuu! Wanna hear? Take a listen.
Sorry if the picture is confusing. It's just there so that I could make this a video. It's an unfinished drawing.
Today smells like swimming pools and lip balm and
lemonade.
Today smells like a suntan lotion parade and sounds like
The swirling of that artificial ocean we call the water
park.
Today tastes like Razzmatazz smoothies and the
Beaches of Florida. The umbrellas are planted,
Slanting this way and that way in the burning sand.
Well, it’s not really sand – cement, yes.
After all, this is our red, Oklahoman land.
But today still smells like the tang of lemons and limes,
Oranges, and coconut shavings.
Today feels like the kiss of sunlight on all-too-pale
skin.
Today is the rush of the wind through stringy, wet hair.
Today we shed our American care and breathe humid air.
Today, it is summer again.
By Samantha Lindholm
Written May 29, 2012
Written in anticipation of the summer season! O how many memories summer brings of the months of my childhood summers spent living, like a mermaid, at the local swimming pool.
Tell me
What is He like, who is He
Describe the nature you see
In my Beloved and King
He is so kind
He's always faithful
Meek and lowly,
His heart is gentle
Rich in love
Full of mercy
He's beautiful
He desires none should perish
This is my Beloved
This is my Friend
Tell me
O You whom I love
Where You feed Your flock
And where You cause it to rest at noon
You will be the primary custodian of a human soul and body. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the course of the known world, using your unique knowledge of the universe and intelligence.
This is a senior position, no experience required. Even if you have experience, it probably won’t help. It is a lifetime appointment.
Key requirements, both built-in and acquired:
• Availability: you must be able to be on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for an indeterminate amount of years. You will have a sleeping room, but it will be public access and will be shared in cases of stomachaches, shadows, moths, nightmares, sibling-imposed injuries and hunger or thirst, and in any other potential circumstance.
• Flexibility: you must be able to make a plan without expecting that plan to be accomplished in the manner in which you planned, i.e., 3 toddlers vomiting simultaneously en route to your long-awaited, savings-emptying trip to Disney World. Also see: dinner.
• Patience: you will endure rigorous tests like enduring 45 minutes of putting on shoes, 1 hour to eat 2 “dinosaur” bites of carrots, and infinite years-long descriptions of triumphs over video game challenges. You will also be responsible for maintaining a professional air while changing the Bob the Builder bedding thousands of times because bladder control is considered optional.
• Diplomacy: you will be required to show appropriate enthusiasm over any and all artwork, even when said artwork is a Scotch tape sculpture. You will also need negotiation skills to navigate sibling disputes over hot topics like who is in fact touching the wrong side of the van seat. You will be frequently required to bring a cease-fire to physical violence. Occasionally, you will sustain injuries. No one will give you a band-aid.
• Proper sense distribution: you will need a magnified ability to see what is in front of you, as well as behind doors, up stairs, and behind the back of your children. Your sense of hearing will need to be maximized, to hear even the smallest whisper of “Let’s swordfight with KNIVES,” and then to be minimized to not hear the roars of the crowd of 5 year olds running through McDonald’s. A weak sense of smell is an asset for this position. Your sense of humor will need to be the most highly developed of all of your senses.
Benefits:
You will lose: your body, your appetite (many times), your patience (all the time), your plans, your inhibitions, many of your fears and your selfishness.
You will gain children: and everything you give up will pale in the light of what you gain. You will gain the aching sweetness of loving someone more than you thought possible. You will gain the pride and the heartbreak of watching them grow. You gain their dreams, and the joy of dreaming with them.
Apply anytime, and shape the future
Posted by Jess Clark on Bound4Life.com on May 13, 2012
